Evaluation of Multicomponent Adsorption Kinetics for CO2 Enhanced Gas Recovery from Tight Shales

Abstract

Abstract Only 3-10 % of gas from tight shale is recovered economically through natural depletion, demonstrating a significant potential for enhanced shale gas recovery (ESGR). Experimental studies have demonstrated that shale kerogen/organic matter has higher affinity for CO2 than methane, CH4, which opens possibilities for carbon storage and new production strategies. This paper presents a new multicomponent adsorption isotherm which is coupled with a flow model for evaluation of injection-production scenarios. The isotherm is based on the assumption that different gas species compete for adsorbing on a limited specific surface area. Rather than assuming a capacity of a fixed number of sites or moles this finite surface area is filled with species taking different amount of space per mole. The final form is a generalized multicomponent Langmuir isotherm. Experimental adsorption data for CO2 and CH4 on Marcellus shale are matched with the proposed isotherm using relevant fitting parameters. The isotherm is first applied in static examples to calculate gas in place reserves, recovery factors and enhanced gas recovery potential based on contributions from free gas and adsorbed gas components. The isotherm is further coupled with a dynamic flow model with application to CO2-CH4 substitution for CO2-ESGR. We study the feasibility and effectiveness of CO2 injection in tight shale formations in an injection-production setting representative of lab and field implementation and compare with regular pressure depletion. The production scenario we consider is a 1D shale core or matrix system intitally saturated with free and adsorbed CH4 gas with only left side (well) boundary open. During primary depletion, gas is produced from the shale to the well by advection and desorption. This process tends to give low recovery and is entirely dependent on the well pressure. Stopping production and then injecting CO2 into the shale leads to increase in pressure where CO2 gets preferentially adsorbed over CH4. The injected CO2 displaces, but also mixes with the in situ CH4. Restarting production from the well then allows CH4 gas to be produced in the gas mixture. Diffusion allows the CO2 to travel further into the matrix while keeping CH4 accessible to the well. Surface substitution further reduces the CO2 content and increases the CH4 content in the gas mixture that is produced to the well. A result of the isotherm and its application of Marcellus experimental data is that adsorption of CO2 with resulting desorption of CH4 will lead to a reduction in total pressure if the CO2 content in the gas composition is increased. That is in itself an important drive mechanism since the pressure gradient driving fluid flow is maintained (pressure buildup is avoided). This is a result of CO2 being found to take ~24 times less space per mol than CH4.